The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

10 Great Books That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud [SHOWING SLIDE 3 OF 10]

Heartbreak, alcoholism, dead people, religion and military bureaucracy: We know we’re not supposed to laugh about that stuff, but we can’t help it when we read the books by the writers in this week’s list (not to mention class issues, recluses, self-improvement and choking—real gut-busters!). Some books are just funny but these books make us feel all over again like we’re in the back row of 7th-grade science class tittering after the teacher discusses human anatomy. So bring on the dire news headlines—we’ll be laughing all week long.

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